Talent Attraction and Recruitment

GFDA has tools to help you recruit the high-quality talent your business needs to succeed.

We know recruiting excellent, committed employees has its challenges. As an employer, you sell working at your company to potential job candidates. We can help you sell the location – our great community in Great Falls and the Golden Triangle.

We have the tools to help employers highlight the best of living, working and playing in Great Falls.

Lyndsay Bruno

Contact Lyndsay to discuss the tools and resources available to assist in recruiting out-of-town talent – she is eager to connect!

Lyndsay Bruno
Dir. of Marketing
Lyndsay@GrowGreatFalls.org
(406) 590-1539

Learn more about why we’re investing in Talent Attraction for Great Falls:

To download the slides used in this presentation, click here.

*Please note, due to some technical difficulties, the first five minutes of the presentation weren’t recorded.*

For Employers: Tools and Resources for Recruiting Talent

Key Messages: These 5 Key Messages are clear and concise statements of what makes Great Falls a unique and ideal location for prospective talent. They serve as the “top reasons” why Great Falls is an ideal location for talent and are meant to quickly capture attention. All text in the key messages can be used verbally or in written materials.

  • Copy and paste sentences or sections of Key Messages to include in descriptions of Great Falls, MT on job descriptions on your website, Indeed, Monster, etc.
  • Copy and paste sentences for use in marketing materials, social media, job packets, relocation packets, and more

In addition to Key Messages, use our high-quality photo and video in your marketing materials as well – let’s show potential candidates the beauty of Great Falls and Central Montana!

Great Falls is Montana’s gateway to a better life. Paradise doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg (or your sanity). What if we told you you could switch out your hour-long commute and pricey apartment with a pre-happy hour evening tube along the Missouri River before heading back to your house on a nice plot of Montana land? Before you think we’re exaggerating, we’re not. The average commute time for a Great Falls resident is 13 minutes(including time to stop for coffee). We’ll let that sink in. With a median home value of about $200,000, Great Falls’ housing costs are half of what you’ll pay in most other Montana cities, making it the ideal place for young professionals and families to call home– or those who are just looking to make their dollar stretch a little further. We were even named one of the “Most Budget-Friendly Cities for Homeowners” in 2020.

And while we don’t have the congestion or hassle of a huge metro, you’ll find that you still have easy access to top tier activities without breaking the bank from season ski passes at Showdown to season tickets box seats to see the Great Falls Voyagers MLB team hit a home run.

Whether you’re looking to find your new position at an established company or have dreams of paving your own way as an entrepreneur, Great Falls is where you can make a real difference with your career. Our market is growing and ripe with opportunity, but not so saturated that you can’t advance and make your mark. Leading companies such as, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cargill, Centene, major financial firm D.A. Davidson Companies plus a thriving architecture, engineering, design and construction scene.

Bio-processing, food production and ag are also major drivers behind Great Falls’ economy. Great Falls is the epicenter of the Golden Triangle – a particularly prosperous area that produces barley, meat, oilseed, pulse crops and more wheat than most regions in the country.

People from New York to the Bay Area have relocated to Great Falls to launch their dream business. Know that if you take the leap to start your own business here, you won’t have to do it alone and there is minimal risk compared to other markets. Great Falls offers access to capitalplus the tools and programs in place specifically designed to help you start your dream business. The Great Falls Development Authority is your personal Mark Cuban if you’re an entrepreneur or small business owners. We’ll guide you through the process of small business loans, government contracting and even free one-on-one business coaching. Great Falls is so supportive of small businesses, don’t be surprised if you find yourself growing your idea into a national operation or owning two businesses (move here to open your law practice, and stay to run a coffee shop on the side–true story).

You don’t have to be a cowboy to enjoy the Montana terrain– far from it, actually. There is no shortage of hiking, camping, ATV riding, off roading, snowboarding and skiing. Runners and cyclists will find miles and miles of trails to explore (might we recommend the 60-mile River’s Edge Trail that runs right along the Missouri River through town? Mountain bikers have called it “the finest recreational trail network in the Northwest.” The river also makes Great Falls a boaters paradise for canoeing, water sports, as well as fly fishing. Not to mention you have 57 Great Falls parks if you’re in the mood for a picturesque picnic and frisbee session.

And those are just the local options here in the city – if you’re up for a little drive, Bob Marshall Wilderness is at your front door and in our backyard you’ll find Sluice Boxes State Park. You’re halfway between Glacier and Yellowstone national parks. Great Falls’ wilderness is for the explorer in each of us – the very same wilderness that was explored on the Lewis and Clark expedition in the early 1800s.

If you haven’t found your people yet– that close-knit community– we guarantee you’ll find it in Great Falls. We help one another, cheer each other on, and are always up for showing newcomers the best brew or trail in town. An idyllic place to plant roots and raise a family, Great Falls has an excellent public school system (the second largest school district in Montana) with 15 neighborhood elementary schools, two middle schools and two high schools -plus private and faith-based schools, including one of the top 5 rated private high schools in the state. The Great Falls Public Schools music department was even selected as one of the “Best Communities for Music Education.”

If you’re a sports family, you’re in luck. Many statewide tournaments from basketball to golf conveniently take place right here in Great Falls, and we even have adult rec leagues to let your inner athlete shine (we’re competitive, but it’s all in good fun).

Great Falls has a top tier healthcare system, keeping us safe, healthy and primed for adventure. Nationally-ranked Benefis Health System includes the Benefis Sletten Cancer Institute, Heart and Vascular Institute, Orthopedic Center of Montana, and the state-of-the art Women’s and Children’s Center (slated to open 2021).Great Falls Clinic is the fourth oldest medical clinic west of the Mississippi, serving hundreds of thousands of Montanans, and Alluvion Health is also readily accessible and has brought School-Based Health Centers to Great Falls Public Schools.

*National Association of Music Merchants Foundation 2020

Surround yourself with people who aren’t afraid to let their inner artist, creativity and quirkiness shine in Great Falls. Art is the lifeblood of Great Falls, and residents are creating art at almost every turn in the form of murals and Downtown Art Walk or dance performers at outdoor events. If you have the itch to perform – Great Falls is your stage.

Visit the C.M. Russell Museum to browse exquisite art from the American West, or The Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art which features contemporary exhibitions and offers art classes for all ages. And there’s no shortage of live music to hear on any given day, from the renowned Great Falls Symphony to a more relaxed vibe at The Do Bar.

For your date nights, happy hours and weekends strolling through downtown, we’ve got the hook-up when it comes to food and drink. The best restaurants you’ll find here? They’re not chains, and we’re pretty proud of that. Where a local, authentic atmosphere meets downright tasty eats, places like Roadhouse Diner (Food Network-Winning Chef), Mighty Mo Brewing Company and Celtic Cowboy are a must (did you know Irish Nachos were a thing?). After-hours, mosey on down to Enbär, a locally owned craft cocktail lounge, for a mean old fashioned try historic City Bar Lounge-Casino for a nightcap.

Great Falls Livability Magazine: Share this magazine with recruits to show them the greatness of Great Falls. This tool highlights all the best of living, working and playing in Great Falls: healthcare, education, housing, low cost of living, recreation, food & drink options and more!

Live in Great Falls Relocation Website: www.LiveinGreatFalls.com is a one-stop-shop for everything a person considering a move to Great Falls would want to know.

  • Share with candidates and potential candidates to show them what Great Falls has to offer

Hot Jobs in Great Falls: Are you hiring for a job position that is either a high-skill, high-salary, or out-of-the-box/unique/creative position for which someone would pack their bags and relocate? If so, submit the job from this form so it can be included in the next Hot Jobs in Great Falls blog and on the ‘Live in Great Falls’ Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn accounts.

Live in Great Falls Marketing Videos: We have a collection of professionally filmed and edited marketing videos for employers to use in their talent attraction efforts. These videos follow three “day in the life” narratives of people who relocated to Great Falls and are living their best life in Great Falls, Montana.

  • Share video(s) with candidates and potential candidates to show them what their life in Great Falls could be

Ask an Expert Videos: We are consistently rolling out our Ask an Expert video series. In this series, we ask local experts about any topics that potential relocatees would be interested in learning about our community, from housing and hiking to remote work and rivers.

  • Include a link to this series on the Career page of your website
  • Share videos with candidates and potential candidates to provide them answers to some of their burning questions about living in Great Falls

Join the Trailing Partner Email Group: Have you ever offered a position to a star candidate who didn’t end up relocating because their significant other couldn’t find meaningful work in Great Falls? Never again!
That’s why we’ve created the Trailing Partner Email Group. Submit your name and email on the Employer Resources page of the LiveinGreatFalls.com website to opt-in to this email group that allows you to share resumes of trailing partners of candidates you’re hiring with other local employers, giving other employers an opportunity to add to their team. You will also receive high-quality resumes of applicants looking for jobs in our market. It’s a win-win.

  • Share “trailing spouse” resumes
  • Share resumes of workers for whom your company doesn’t currently have an open position available
  • Receive resumes of potential candidates who could be a star employee at your company

Great Falls At-A-Glance: A short and effective resource to quickly highlight Great Falls “at-a-glance” to a candidate unfamiliar with our area.

  • Recruiters: include in job fair packets or include link in early communications with job candidates, follow up with a link to LiveInGreatFalls.com
  • Real estate professionals: download and print to share with out-of-state clients

JobsEQ: JobsEQ for Workforce is a software tool that provides timely data on our local workforce and employers—including demographics, occupations, wages, certifications, and more. Give your company the competitive edge by knowing the ins-and-outs of the workforce in Great Falls and Golden Triangle. Contact Soren to be connected with a JobsEQ-trained Business Advisor today.

Study up: Knowing our labor market is key to attracting the right employees with the appropriate wages and benefits.

  • GFDA also has several online tools for use by Golden Triangle businesses, including JobsEQ, SizeUp, GIS Planning and more reports: Contact Soren to be connected with a GFDA Business Advisor for access to these great tools

Photo and Video: We’re sharing access to an extensive collection of high-quality Great Falls photography and videography. Candidates like to see high-quality photo and video on employer websites and marketing platforms when looking for new job opportunities. Some ideas of where to use photo and video:

  • Website
  • Social media and other digital marketing
  • Email newsletters
  • Job description packets or job fair packets
Curious to see how these projects pencil out?For each of the vision projects we have project analysis that includes Project Descriptions, Cash Flow Projections, and Rent Roll Summaries.